Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Moscow sees “a chance” for peace with Ukraine and wants to restore full relations with the United States, citing continued contacts with Washington and ongoing communication between Russian and Ukrainian intelligence services.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that there is “a chance” to reach a peace agreement with Ukraine and signaled that Moscow also wants to rebuild its relationship with the United States after years of confrontation.
Speaking Sept. 3 during a session of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Putin said Russia remains appreciative of international efforts aimed at ending the war but maintained that Moscow and Kyiv must ultimately reach an agreement directly.
Moscow is “grateful to everyone who is trying to contribute to resolving this issue,” Putin said, adding that in his view there is “a chance” of achieving peace, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
For the fighting to end, Putin said, “Russia and Ukraine must first reach an agreement” between themselves.
He acknowledged that “all other countries are ready to support and assist” the two sides in reaching such an agreement.
Despite the continuing war, Putin revealed that Moscow and Kyiv have maintained lines of communication through their respective intelligence services.
He said it was difficult to determine “to what extent these contacts are leading to a peace agreement,” but confirmed that communication between the two governments has not completely ceased.
Putin also used his remarks in Vladivostok to address the future of relations between Russia and the United States.
He confirmed that Moscow remains in contact with Washington and said he hopes those channels remain open.
The Russian president pointed to cooperation involving U.S. and Russian intelligence services as well as officials appointed by President Donald Trump, saying the process is “working” and expressing hope that it will “ultimately lead to a positive outcome.”
Putin said Russia wants a broader normalization of relations with Washington.
Moscow is “in favor of restoring relations with the United States in full, but this does not depend solely on us; it depends on the American side,” he said.
Putin nevertheless indicated that he believes Trump is personally interested in improving ties.
He said Trump is “determined to engage in such positive, constructive work.”
Putin’s comments came one day after Trump said any future face-to-face meeting between the two leaders should take place in connection with an actual peace agreement.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Sept. 2, Trump said he was not opposed to another meeting with Putin but wanted it tied to meaningful progress toward ending the war.
“We’d do it if I wanted it, but I want to do it when we’re ready to do a peace deal,” Trump said.
The president said Washington wants productive relations with both Russia and Ukraine and argued that ending the conflict would produce economic benefits as well.
Good relations with both sides would be “great for business,” Trump said.
“They ought to stop that stupid war,” he added.
A day earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated that Kyiv supports diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting.
On Sept. 1, Zelenskyy wrote that Ukraine supports “every step toward peace.”
“The war needs to end, and leaders are right to tell Putin this. So, for the sake of diplomacy and negotiations, whenever our partners approach us about this, we will ensure that Russian skies are cleared of drones for specified periods of time and along specified routes.”
Zelenskyy also tied the restoration of normal civilian air activity over Russia to progress in negotiations.
“Safety will return to Russia’s skies when there is real movement toward peace. For now, the skies over Russia are for drones—not for civilian aviation,” he added.
The renewed public discussion of negotiations follows a previously undisclosed diplomatic and intelligence contact between Washington and Moscow in late August.
Trump confirmed Aug. 26 that CIA Director John Ratcliffe had traveled to Moscow the previous day for meetings with Russian officials.
The president rejected speculation that Ratcliffe had been sent to warn the Kremlin against testing NATO, attacking England or disregarding sanctions connected to Iran.
“John Ratcliffe is a fantastic guy. He’s the head of the CIA, and he is not in there for any of the things that you said. Now, something may come out, you know, out of it. We’re working very hard to get that war ended, and frankly, they both want to see it ended at this point,” Trump said.
Ratcliffe’s Aug. 25 visit represented another direct channel between the Trump administration and Moscow as Washington continued trying to create conditions for negotiations.
Putin referred to that broader intelligence cooperation Thursday while arguing that U.S.-Russia contacts are functioning and could eventually contribute to an improved relationship.
Ukraine has simultaneously maintained that negotiations cannot require Kyiv to surrender.
During an Aug. 24 Independence Day speech in Kyiv, Zelenskyy said Ukraine wants peace but would not capitulate.
Those positions remain at the center of the diplomatic challenge.
Putin says Moscow sees a possible route toward agreement and favors restoring full relations with Washington, while Trump has increasingly tied future high-level diplomacy with the Kremlin to tangible progress toward ending the conflict.
Zelenskyy, meanwhile, has publicly endorsed negotiations while insisting that peace cannot come through Ukrainian surrender.
The continued intelligence contacts between Moscow and Kyiv, combined with the Trump administration’s direct engagement with Russia, indicate that communication remains active despite the war.
Whether those channels can produce a negotiated settlement remains uncertain, but Putin’s Sept. 3 remarks represented one of his clearest recent acknowledgments that Moscow believes an agreement may still be achievable.
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